


the whole world is sleeping, but my world is you

by spinningincircles



Series: drabbles [16]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, eddie's very in his feels, no plot just vibes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 18:21:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30143652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinningincircles/pseuds/spinningincircles
Summary: Heknowshe's okay, rationally — he heard Hen after she sent him to the hospital for tests she couldn’t run and injuries that needed a little more attention, and he heard the doctor just now after the results finally came in clear.So heknowsit, but he hasn’tseenit. And he’s not really going to believe it until he does.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: drabbles [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765609
Comments: 5
Kudos: 181





	the whole world is sleeping, but my world is you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [letmetellyouaboutmyfeels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/gifts).



> for mads' word prompt: "retrouvailles: the happiness of meeting or finding someone again after a long separation"
> 
> title from "bloom" by the paper kites
> 
> also posted [here](https://tylerhunklin.tumblr.com/post/646110089071230976/retrouvailles-andor-kilig-for-buddie)

“Eddie, he’s okay.” 

He  _ knows _ that, rationally — he heard Hen after she sent him to the hospital for tests she couldn’t run and injuries that needed a little more attention, and he heard the doctor just now after the results finally came in clear.

So he  _ knows _ he’s okay, but he hasn’t  _ seen _ it. And he’s not really going to believe it until he does, because the last time he  _ had _ seen Buck, he was sprinting out of a condo as it was engulfed by flames and collapsing on the lawn, and Eddie couldn’t fathom how he could be anything close to okay.

He scrubs his hands over his face, catching on the stubble that’s grown in, and feels Maddie rub her hand slowly across his shoulders as she asks the doctor some questions. He’s glad she’s here — if he’s on edge now, he can’t imagine what he’d be like if he was alone, no one there to reel him in, remind him of the reality of the situation and pull him away from all the worst case scenarios and regrets projecting in his head. 

That’s all he can focus on at the moment — all the  _ what ifs _ and the things they’ve been planning on that they haven’t gotten around to. All the  _ I love yous _ he still wants to say, now that he can, now that the words don’t feel awkward and heavy in his mouth when they’re directed at anyone but Chris. The stacks of paint samples currently on their coffee table that they still need to agree on for the living room. And the velvet blue box hidden in the back of his nightstand drawer, waiting for an arbitrarily perfect moment that almost didn’t get the chance to happen.

But all of that  _ will _ happen, because Buck is  _ okay. _

Eddie just really needs to see it for himself.

Maddie stands, tugging at his wrist to get him up too. He hadn’t even noticed the doctor walking away, but she must have told them Buck was cleared for visitors. They make their way down the hallway, arm in arm, and like always, Eddie hopes he doesn’t have to see these too white walls and too bright lights again for a very long time.

Buck’s awake when they get there and sitting upright in the bed, clearly exhausted but still bright eyed, even more so when he sees them in the doorway. Eddie lets Maddie go in first, hanging back so he can fully take Buck in, from top to bottom, make sure everything’s still exactly where it’s supposed to be. Even that is enough to loosen the ribbons of anxiety that twisted around his ribs, pulling him lower and lower the longer he couldn’t see Buck with his own eyes. But he can now, and he’s whole and smiling, like an entire house didn’t almost fall on him, and Eddie’s so relieved he could cry.

He must look like it too, because Buck catches his eye over Maddie’s shoulder and immediately softens, like  _ Eddie’s  _ the one that needs to be taken care of right now. Maddie notices his attention shift and laughs, kissing the top of his head one more time before she turns to leave. She squeezes Eddie’s shoulder as she goes, and then it’s just the two of them, looking at each other like they’ve spent years and years apart instead of hours.

Some of those hours  _ felt  _ like years, in Eddie’s defense.

Buck holds out his hand, beckoning him over, and Eddie’s there in an instant, his own hands roaming everywhere — face, shoulders, chest, thighs, cataloging anything and everything, still trying to convince himself that there are no stray missing pieces, no forgotten wounds that will come back to haunt them both. Buck grabs his wrists, stilling him, and brings his hand to rest over his heart. The  _ thump _ under Eddie’s palm, the blood and life beating in a steady rhythm finally cuts the last of the ribbons away, and Eddie sighs.

“I missed you,” he says, and Buck laughs, quiet but echoing around the room.

“You saw me 6 hours ago.”

“Yeah, but you—” he takes a deep breath, fighting back all the worst cases again because they don’t matter anymore, he  _ knows _ they don’t, and he can finally get his brain on board. “I still missed you.”

Buck squeezes his wrist and pulls him closer, kissing him gently, like they have all the time in the world and nothing else but this to worry about.

“I missed you too,” he whispers, lips millimeters from Eddie’s. “But you can’t get rid of me that easy.”

Eddie smiles, a real smile, and kisses him again.

He’s okay.  _ They’re _ okay. That’s all that matters.

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on [tumblr](https://tylerhunklin.tumblr.com/)!!


End file.
